Uncovering future leaders: A fresh framework for high-potential talent

“Incorporating personality into HiPo programmes offer objective data that can eliminate or at least mitigate the influence of organisational politics and leader preferences, offering valuable insights that meaningfully differentiate employees.” – Nicole Dickie, Senior Consultant, International Distributors, for Hogan Assessments

In today’s fast-paced and competitive business landscape, identifying and developing high-potential (HiPo) talent is crucial to ensuring organisational success. But what makes someone a HiPo? And how can organisations build frameworks to recognise and nurture these future leaders, especially in regions like Asia-Pacific where cultural nuances and business dynamics vary significantly?

To gain deeper insight into these questions, HRM Asia spoke with Nicole Dickie, Senior Consultant, International Distributors, for Hogan Assessments, who emphasised the importance of personality in shaping leadership potential. As Dr Robert Hogan, Founder of Hogan Assessments, famously puts it, “who you are is how you lead.”

The Hogan model: Three key characteristics that define HiPos

HiPo employees are often viewed as the future leaders of an organisation, but defining what exactly makes someone a HiPo can be challenging. Many organisations fall into the trap of solely focusing on an employee’s current performance or visibility within the organisation. Hogan’s approach, however, goes deeper, assessing potential through the lens of personality.

According to Dickie, Hogan’s model focuses on three crucial aspects of leadership potential:

1. Dependability and competence (Leadership Foundations): “HiPo individuals must master the fundamental aspects of being a good employee and dependable leader,” said Dickie. This means consistently following processes, delivering on commitments, fostering a positive work environment, and being generally likeable.
2. Perceived influence (Leadership Emergence): The second aspect, often more familiar to most organisations, reflects an individual’s ability to be seen as a leader within the workplace. “Traditional HiPo identification often hinges on an individual’s organisational visibility and political acumen,” she explained. While this is important—being noticed by leadership and inspiring others—it is not the only measure of potential.
3. Team and talent development (Leadership Effectiveness): The third, and perhaps most crucial, aspect is the ability to build and lead high-performing teams. Dickie noted that this includes attracting and developing talent, securing necessary resources, and achieving strategic business objectives.

She continued, “These essential aspects of personality set HiPo apart, distinguishing them through their employability, perceived influence and leadership potential, and capacity to lead teams towards successful outcomes. By focusing on these characteristics, organisations can better identify and nurture their succession pipeline with high-quality future leaders.”

And as organisations expand across different regions, especially in the rapidly evolving Asia-Pacific market, they face unique challenges. Cultural differences, economic conditions, and business strategies all influence how HiPos are identified and developed.

“There is no one-size-fits-all solution for talent management practices, including the identification and development of HiPos,” Dickie stressed. “The benefit of using personality data for supporting HiPo programmes, however, is that this is applicable to all organisations. Incorporating personality into HiPo programmes offer objective data that can eliminate or at least mitigate the influence of organisational politics and leader preferences, offering valuable insights that meaningfully differentiate employees.”

For organisations without an existing HiPo model, Hogan’s framework can serve as a foundation. But Dickie emphasised flexibility, explaining, “Even if an organisation already has their own HiPo model, they can easily incorporate personality characteristics insights to match their own definitions of high potential and to satisfy the specific needs of a HiPo programme internally or in their market or country.” This customisation is particularly valuable in Asia-Pacific, where organisations need to remain agile and continuously realign their talent strategies with changing market dynamics.

Hogan encourages organisations to adopt a “kaizen” philosophy of continuous improvement, ensuring their HiPo programmes evolve alongside business objectives.

HiPo programmes as a key to succession planning

Succession planning and HiPo identification go hand in hand. According to Dickie, “HiPo identification programmes are foundational to a comprehensive succession planning strategy, which is intertwined closely with the overall talent strategy. Succession planning, just like all strategic initiatives, must be data-driven to be effective and support employees’ immediate role development and future role development.”

An example of this approach can be seen in a city government’s development of a new role: Chief Heat Officer. As climate change increasingly affects business operations and public safety, this government needed a leader who could oversee innovative heat reduction initiatives. Using Hogan’s assessments, they identified two directors whose personalities aligned with the innovation, process management, and conscientiousness required for this future leadership position.

“The focus on strategic self-awareness, leading to behavioural change and maturity, is relevant to both immediate and long-term roles,” said Dickie. This process not only prepares employees for the current roles but also helps develop the leaders of tomorrow.

READ MORE: Leading inclusively: Harnessing personality for organisational success

Additionally, organisations often wonder about the optimal time horizon for HiPo development. While this can vary depending on the business strategy, Dickie suggested a two-to-five-year window for effective development. “This provides time and opportunity for talent to develop their strategic self-awareness, change behaviours, and gain maturity, as well as to acquire key experiences and to build critical skills needed for their potential next step,” she said.

She shared an example from an insurance organisation in Asia-Pacific. By leveraging Hogan’s HiPo talent report, the organisation identified promising branch managers and implemented a two-year development programme that combined quarterly trainings with practical experiences. “Since starting the programme, several HiPos have been promoted, and the organisation has seen significant growth in organisational bench strength,” she shared.

At the core of Hogan’s methodology is the belief that personality assessment data offers a deep understanding of HiPo talent, allowing organisations to build stronger leadership pipelines. “When it comes to the characteristics and behaviours that predict successful leadership outcomes, there is no more trusted advisor or better strategic partner than Hogan,” she concluded.